The formula course is multi-dimensional. That's one reason why it's so difficult to grasp. Thus far, my monologue has been addressing it from a linear perspective - going through the stages of growth. But on the foundation of individual growth, the change of heart, conscience and ethics that occurred at each new stage was transmitted horizontally into the culture. That happens through a family structure. The dynamics in the family are multi-dimensional as are the dynamics in society at large. One key relationship is the Father/Son relationship. That relationship in any given culture is a reflection of the relationship between God and men (I do mean "man" in the male sense). Abraham is the father of faith, and how he transmitted his foundation to the next generation through his relationship with his son was critical. Moses transferred his position to Joshua, Jesus to Peter and so on. All the other familial relationships revolve around that one.

Furthermore, until some people establish a perfect family model, there is always the danger that whatever progress is made along the way may be lost as the values get transmitted from one generation to the next. So God worked through "surrogate" families to create cultures that would transmit values through culture and institutions. (Joshua and Peter were "sons" in the surrogate families) In the Old Testament Age, the tablets of stone in the Ark of the Covenant represented True Parents in the wilderness. The foundation of faith that Abraham and Moses laid was preserved through an extended "family" centering on symbols that embodied and codified the Master/Servant relationship they established with God. God's spirit dwelled in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in the Jewish faith. The Priesthood represented a father figure in the Jewish "family" centering on the Temple. Jewish traditions, law and all of its institutions extended outward from there.

In the New Testament Age, the church became the "House of God" and the priests, centering on the Pope represented the father/son progression. The relationship between nuns and priests was restoring the relationship between brothers and sisters. The spirit of God was present in the House of the Lord - the church.

In the New Testament Age, God elevated the faith of the priesthood (meaning the central figures in Christian history), gradually approaching the level that Jesus achieved in his lifetime. As they approached Jesus' level of faith, they instituted a culture that prepared Christianity to instill the standard of love within the family that God intended from the beginning. Marriage was not a central part of the Christian faith from the beginning. In fact, it was viewed as an obstacle to developing a relationship with God. Now, marriage and family are the central issues as we enter the Completed Testament Age.

In the Completed Testament Age, the church will disappear, because God's presence will be firmly grounded in the midst of the ideal family. Our homes will become the dwelling the place of God. Restoration will occur by bringing people into our homes, rather than into a symbolic representation of the House of the Lord. All the elements of the formula course will be embodied in the dynamic relationships occurring in an ideal family. As people try to model their own families after ideal families, they naturally get confronted with their own shortcomings and discover where they are on the formula course. Through their relationship with these families, they can make the necessary conditions to move forward.

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